Kenya nominated its first ever Ambassador to Morocco yesterday following the conclusion of a session of the Kenyan Parliament’s vetting committee, Kenyan outlet “the Star” reported.
Jessica Muthoni Gakinya, the Business Development Manager for Safaricom, the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, told the committee that she was ready to represent Kenya as the “finest investment location” in Africa.
She presented her credentials to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations as an ambassadorial nominee to Rabat, Morocco.
Gakinya stated that her efforts as Ambassador will first focus on convincing Moroccan investors to create a fertilizer factory in Kenya, allowing Kenyan farmers easy access to critical agricultural materials.
“The people of the Kingdom of Morocco are consumers of green tea,” the new Ambassador noted. “I will partner with stakeholders and market Kenya’s green tea and coffee, taking advantage of Africa’s Continental free trade area and utilizing the Ports of Tangier and Mombasa.”
Establishment of a full-fledged diplomatic post in Rabat signals a complete overhaul of past official positions on bilateral relations between Rabat and Nairobi.
Establishing an embassy in Morocco means Kenya will transition from an honorary consulate led by Kenyan native Ali Bajaber to a full embassy with a permanent ambassador.
This development comes after the announcement of Kenyan President William Ruto’s working visit to Morocco in the coming weeks to discuss the establishment of a fertilizer industry in Kenya, as announced by Kenyan media on Friday.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei and Morocco’s chief diplomat FM Nasser Bourita were reported to have discussed Ruto’s visit to Morocco.
After the visit’s announcement, Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf paid a visit to Nairobi to “strengthen cooperation and historical friendship between Algeria and Kenya,” according to Algeria’s foreign ministry. “The two countries are firmly committed to the goals and objectives of African unity and to joint African action to address the challenges facing the continent,” he said.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister did not receive his Algerian peer, however, as the Kenyan foreign minister was in a meeting with his French counterpart Stephane Séjourné whose visit coincided with that of the Algerian official.
Kenyan media described the Algerian official’s visit as “symbolic” rather than a “business trip.” Algeria’s chief diplomat had said he was traveling to Nairobi because he saw “the need for closer ties.”
Diplomatic relations among the three countries have been fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty. Kenya first recognized the so-called “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic” (“SADR”), the self-declared “state” claiming authority over the disputed territory of Sahara, in June 2005.
In September, 2022, however, Kenyan President Ruta tweeted that Kenya no longer recognized the “SADR.” But he subsequently deleted that post, triggering confusion as to which way the country’s foreign policy was headed.
In mid-December 2023, various members of Kenya’s Senate advocated for the establishment of diplomatic ties with Morocco and for setting up an official embassy in the Kingdom to benefit from greater exchanges between the two African nations.
While Morocco already has an embassy in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Kenya’s embassy in Cairo currently handles Morocco matters.